Creating Cairo's oasis of calm

zoom

Randy Shimabuku, GM of The First Residence, Four Seasons, Cairo is always striving to upgrade his product.

General manager of the Four Seasons Cairo at The First Residence, Randy Shimabuku, tells Hotelier Middle East about running a smooth hotel operation despite the Egyptian capital's bustle.

How has the hotel been performing?

We opened in 2000 and 2006 was our strongest year in our brief history. Year to date, 2007 has exceeded even 2006.

Have you noticed any trends with travellers to Egypt - are there different people staying with you compared to previous years?

The North American market continues to grow - two thirds of which is leisure - as Americans feel more comfortable about visiting Egypt, and those who have visited help spread the word with their positive impressions. As for the GCC market, that has also grown recently, partly due to the diversion created by the current situation in Lebanon.

What are the main source markets for your guests?

This is broken down into 40% North American, 28% from the GCC, and then the divide is spread out all over after that, including many from Europe.

Who is the hotel marketed towards? What do you do to market the property to those different segments?

We cater to a market that appreciates being discreet in an elegant manner that is comfortable yet plush. We try to appeal to the traveller looking for that soft adventure, who can tour or do business in the hustle and bustle of Cairo, and then return to our oasis to be pampered and spoiled. We offer standard rooms, Four Seasons Executive Suites, one-bedroom suites, the three-bedroom, three-bathroom Nile Suite, the 252m² presidential suites and the 520m² Royal Suites on the top two floors.

How do you cater to the MICE market? What facilities do you offer for corporate guests?

Overlooking the Zoological and Botanical Gardens, Four Seasons Hotel Cairo at The First Residence features four meeting rooms, each equipped with the latest staging, audio-visual equipment and wireless internet connection. Three rooms can be combined together to form The Four Seasons room. These rooms can be combined to provide one large function area of 382m² or used independently for breakout needs. The hotel provides themed coffee breaks and parties.

Our dedicated, well-trained team offers an exceptional and personal service whether one is organising a cocktail reception, a seminar or a board meeting. Capacities range from 50 to 270 people for a reception and up to 220 people for dinner.

Business services at the hotel include the 24-hour multilingual concierge service, our business centre featuring two separate boardrooms for up to eight people, cellular telephones, secretarial services, a translation service, voice mail and two workstations with high speed internet connection.

Cairo's International Conference Centre is positioned within 15 minutes from the hotel. Located in Madinet Nasr, the centre has three main conference halls, fully equipped secretarial offices and a press centre.

What do you see as the biggest opportunity for your hotel - are there any market segments you could do more to attract?

There are no new markets in particular, though the Russian market seems more interested in Sharm El Sheikh. We are interested in simply growing our existing markets.

What percentage of the hotels bookings comes over the Internet?

This is only a small percentage, less than 2%. We have certainly upgraded our website over the years, but it appears our market has their favourite venue for booking their business other than on the internet. They use our site mainly for informational purposes and also to "shop" to see if there are specials we are currently running against what they are able to obtain elsewhere.

What challenges do you face operating a hotel in Egypt? Is it an easy market to operate in?

We have the usual operational challenges, but no major differences from anywhere else I have worked. I would never say it is an ‘easy' market to work with, [because] as overall performance is increasing, so are overall expectations.

Do you face the same issues of recruiting staff that are found in the rest of the Middle East - is it easy or difficult to find the right kind of staff for the hotel?

One has to recruit people who are open-minded and looking for a bit of adventure. We are blessed with the Egyptian people who by and large are kind, friendly and approachable individuals. We take this wonderful human resource and try to instil in them our Four Seasons culture of service and how we like to do business.

Do you have any big developments or plans for the hotel in the next few years?

We will be opening a 52-seat restaurant on our pool deck that will afford views of the pool and Nile, and that will open 365 days a year and focus on Lebanese and Syrian cuisine. We are also always trying to upgrade our product and are currently working with designers on our Seasons restaurant, and our spa and wellness centre.

How do you see the health of Egypt's tourism industry in general - do you think it is headed in the right direction?

Local, high-end residential real estate is booming and I believe this is an indication of people's confidence in the market and their willingness to invest in the future of Egypt. Tourism in Egypt is very strong and getting stronger.

Print | Email | Discuss this article |

USER COMMENTS (0 COMMENTS)

POST A COMMENT

CLICK HERE TO POST A COMMENT

Add your Comment All posts are sent to the administrator for review and are published only after approval. ArabianBusiness.com reserves the right to remove any comment at any time for any reason. Please keep your responses appropriate and on topic.
Name *
Remember me on this computer
Email *	(Your email address will not be published)
City
Country
Subject *
Comment *
Notify me of further comments
Security Code *
Please click post only once - your comment will not be published immediately.